Glen Ellen woman creates emergency rescue program for horses and livestock

Julie Atwood has long been concerned with the welfare of the horses and livestock that dot the landscape of Sonoma County, her home for nearly 40 years. What happens to them if disaster strikes, something unthinkable like a massive fire, flood, earthquake or landslide?

The Glen Ellen resident discovered that while detailed emergency services are in place to protect people and property, little is available locally to help the horses, cattle, sheep and other farmyard animals that are an important part of the economy and a treasured part of the area's charm.

Not one to let things go, Atwood, 60, established HALTER, Horse and Livestock Team Emergency Rescue, a grassroots program dedicated to securing necessary equipment and training first responders and community volunteers how to handle everything from an overturned trailer full of livestock on a roadside to saving animals stranded by natural disasters.

The UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has a model all-volunteer Veterinary Emergency Response Team in place, and other California communities have programs similar to HALTER, including 'one of the best ever' in San Mateo County and another in San Juan Capistrano that deploys all over Southern California, Atwood said.

In an agricultural area like Sonoma County, with dairies, ranches and considerable stables and equestrian-related businesses, Atwood believes, the community is positioned to become a leader in large-animal rescue resources, information and protocol.

'We don't have it, and that was my inspiration,' she said. 'We should be showing everyone else how to do it.'

Atwood, a well-known architectural and interior designer and philanthropist who coordinates private social and corporate celebrations through Julie Atwood Events, says her efforts with HALTER are a way to help preserve the landscape of Sonoma County and an opportunity to give back to her community.

She initially planned a training in early 2013 for about 25 people, mostly those who staff Atwood Ranch at the base of the Mayacmas mountains in Glen Ellen. There, she and her husband have quarter horses, cattle and a pet mule named Elizabeth and grow premium cabernet sauvignon grapes. They also brought in staff from their other ranch near Red Bluff and invited friends from neighboring ranches.

Interest quickly grew and 240 people showed up for the all-day demonstration and readiness fair at the ranch — first responders, friends, farmers, feed store employees and ranchers and community members with a deep concern for animals.

Atwood invited the UC-Davis School of Veterinary Medicine to lead the effort and also had representatives from PG&E, the Sonoma County Farm Bureau and other agencies that essentially created a 'trade show' for what Atwood calls 'rural readiness' to establish safer and better prepared communities for helping large animals in emergencies.

Along with a friend and four website and graphics masters, she has been planning and promoting HALTER ever since then and has the backing of numerous fire departments within Sonoma County.

Atwood Ranch is offering a matching $25,000 challenge to the community. Raising $50,000 will enable funding for training and equipment for six to eight networks around the county, teams of first responders ready to help if — or when — an emergency strikes.

Proper know-how can enable two people to use a large-animal rescue glide to move a 1,200-pound horse or a 2,000-pound bull. A large-animal lift and ropes cost about $5,000 per set. Additional monies would cover tuition, instructors' fees, training manuals and follow-up training.

'It's a very simple, very safe way to move an animal,' Atwood said. 'We're totally within striking distance.'

Training would teach ways to rescue horses and livestock and also provide humane euthanasia by gunshot and captive bolt, something Atwood says becomes critical when an animal is suffering and there is no alternative.

The recent Valley fire in Middletown and surrounding areas illustrates the vulnerability and devastation that can profoundly affect an entire region.

'The recent emergencies have just reinforced this exponentially,' Atwood said. 'I think about what I could do for my beloved Sonoma County, and I just see this as a legacy that maybe we can leave.'

She says it's especially important for volunteers to have the proper training before they attempt to help governmental agencies and those staffing Incident Command Systems 'or you've become a safety hazard,' Atwood said.

'We all need to work together. Neighbors helping neighbors is a big part of our mantra.'

Although her grassroots effort initially had a focus within Sonoma Valley, Atwood soon discovered the need to expand.

'I realized very quickly we couldn't limit this kind of project. We need to reach out to the entire county,' she said. 'So many people have reached out to us. So many paramedics and firefighters have asked if they can be a part of this.'

Atwood already envisions expanding to neighboring counties.

'It's a North Bay initiative,' she said. 'Mountain ranges do not respect county lines, and lots of landowners' properties cross county lines.'

She emphasizes that not only will ranchers, dairy farmers and equestrian owners benefit from HALTER's efforts, but everyone who drives, walks or bicycles along pastureland and open spaces where animals graze.

'That's what creates part of our viewshed. It's our animals, our farms and our livestock. There's an intrinsic and less tangible but very real value to livestock and the emotions humans have for animals collectively,' she said.

'It's a huge part of our Sonoma County culture.'